AIR embarks on nationwide upgradation, expansion

Kolkata, Jan 06: To achieve 100 per cent coverage across thecountry, All India Radio (AIR) has decided to open 18 more stationswithin the next three years and convert the transmission mode intofully digital one, AIR Director General Brijeshwar Singh said heretoday.

Speaking to newsmen on the eve of "Akashvani Annual AwardsCeremony for 2005", Mr Singh said during the eleventh Plan period theCentre had allocated a whopping Rs 8,000 crores for upgradation andexpansion of the government controlled media houses, like AIR andDoordarshan, during the next five years.

Referring to AIR's all India expansion programme, Gen Singh saidmost of the new stations would come up in Tier II and Tier III citiesincluding Malda, Asansol and Purulia and Mindapore in West Bengal. Healso said to increase the national coverage of FM transmission from 38per cent to over 80 per cent within the next four to five years, theAIR had decided to upgrade the transmission facilities in in the hillyareas of the East and the North East along with several smaller townsacross the country.

Citing examples he said the Kurseong station, which also broadcastthe Rainbow FM channel, would soon be upgraded to a more powerfulstation in terms of transmission coverage, while two new stations cumtransmission centres would be set up on Rajamalhal Hills in Maldadistrict and atop Sushunia hills in Bankura district to bring severalbackward and bordering districts of Bihar and Jharkhand under thepurview of AIR FM coverage soon.

"We are also looking for suitable sites in Purulia, Burdwan andMidapore districts for setting up transmission towers to beam AIR FMprogrammes in several other far flung areas," Mr Singh informed.

Elaborating his other plans in the era of digital revolution in Indiancommunication network, director general Mr Singh said the AIR hadearmarked large sums of money to convert its services into latestdigital mode in a phased manner and decided to more focus ontransmitting increased number of national and international sportingevents live.

"Accordingly, we have decided to ensure live broadcast of theNational Games in Guwahati next month through digital transmission aswell as the Coming World Cup Cricket matches in West Indies live laterthis year thereby opening a new vista in terms of broadcasting", MrSingh said.

He further said all necessary arrangements were already in placeto bring about a revolution in the quality of AIR transmission andmaking it compatible with the best elsewhere in the world.

Asked about his views on whether hourly news coverage waspermisible in private FM channels in line with AIR FM Rainbow channel,Gen Singh said the issue was under active consideration of theInformation and Broadcasting ministry in view of their overall impactand credibility in transmissitng news.

Referring to the present growing trend of "sensationalising" thenews by some private television channels, allegedly creating adverseimpact on the general public, Mr Singh called for imposition someregulatory mechanism to prevent the trend.

"Either the government should form a national regulatory body orask the media to impose a self regulatory mechanism barring them fromunnecessarily sensationalising news", he said and suggested that theissue of boradcasting news through private FM channel nedded furtherdiscussion at the ministry level before placing the proposedBroadcasting Bill in the next session of Parliament.

UNI
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